My Husband’s Thoughts on Instagram’s New Logo

May 17, 2016

INK Team

It’s been nearly a week since one of the world’s most influential apps debuted its latest redesign. Let me catch you up on what happened following the big reveal: The Internet lost its filter-loving mind. The icon that inspired playful baked cookies and stood out in a sea of flat colorful icons was replaced with a flat gradient rainbow.

I personally don’t invest emotional outrage in the look of an icon. It’s the layout and changes in algorithm-based feeds that catch my attention as a user and social media strategist. But with all the chatter on the Internet and in the office—I had to ask my husband about it at dinner.

To preface: he is not active on social media. In his perfect world, we’d all still be carrying thick flip-phones, and he would not relate to this “Husbands of Instagram” video. His intentional distance to social media always gives me a perspective I haven’t heard yet.

“Why do people care so much? I thought Instagram was just about taking photos to tell a story,” he said.

I appreciated his thought: just keep taking photos and live your life.

But are those simple days behind us? The day I joined Instagram, we were on our way to take our dog, Mr. Duncan, to Lady Bird Lake for the first time. So, I decided to document the excursion by joining an app I heard rumblings about.

My first photo I took on Instagram.

I took photos without thinking about what I should post next, if people would like it, or what hashtags would work best for the image. A far cry from my meticulous methods of the app now. And as I finished sharing photos with my zero followers, I turned around to see my then boyfriend (now husband) down on one knee. He was proposing.

I could have taken photos that day, but I love that I have a chronological look at one of my most memorable days.

The photo I shared after he proposed.

Sure, today Instagram has morphed into a curated, thoughtful place to share your story. Its new logo is not nearly as charming as its old one, but it’s just the beginning of the countless times Instagram will issue a change. Will there be more outrage? Yes. Will there be a new, new icon one day? Probably.